#Posse Foundation

[mattastr0phic]

Hi I loooooooooooooooooooooooove your O5-6 cane you please tell me about his bodyguards ╰(*°▽°*)╯

I'm still generally working on them, but Micah has 4 bodyguards codenamed after the cardinal directions.

General Notes: - All of them have notable experience in caretaking prior to being Micah's bodyguards, and of course must prioritize the O5 over the others. They only answer to Micah and no other O5. - North and South are siblings, and North is a lot kinder while South is somewhat competitive. this is only between the two of them, and South tries to not let this get in the way of work. - East and West are currently hiding their relationship from Micah as he doesn't approve of romance in the workplace. If he ever found out, they'd likely be demoted or even just fired entirely. - Debating on whether they may also double as factotum, and have uniforms for combat, escort, and stand-in for Micah. - West is the same height as Micah. Yeah, look back at that height chart again. - As of this currently in progress stage, all of them may be referred to with any pronouns.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Josh Kovensky at TPM:

Many MAGA influencers have an apocalyptic story to tell about the country, the political divide, and where we’re all headed, and they’re already using it to lay the groundwork for crossing what has long been a red line: deploying the military for domestic law enforcement purposes. In this MAGA fever dream, everyone has their part to play. They believe that they’ll be caught up in it; you might be, too. It goes something like this: If Donald Trump wins in November, people will protest. Riots will break out. The left, they theorize, will go all-out to stoke organized violence around the country, clearing the way for a newly inaugurated Trump administration to step in and make unprecedented, widespread use of the U.S. military to restore law and order.

This dark vision of the future draws on deeply pessimistic theorizing, on lectures about Marxist anti-government ideology seemingly ripped from the Cold War, on memories of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, and on claims that Democrats and the left will be unable to accept a Trump victory. It all comes against the backdrop of senior officials around Trump and Trump himself reportedly having been eager to invoke the Insurrection Act while he was in office, and mulling its actual use if he’s re-elected. In this situation, a second Trump administration would invoke the law to deploy the military to enforce immigration laws as part of a broader mission at the southern border — a proposal Trump has often spoken about publicly. But it would also make that invocation to do something far more extreme and at odds with American history: use the military against protestors.

[...] In the minds of Trump’s supporters, this planning is justified — in line with Trump’s promise of “retribution.” In their telling, he’s already borne those same slings and arrows that he envisions for his opponents: years of attempts by the “deep state” to thwart his administration, followed by supposedly unjust political prosecutions. He is punching back. It sets the stage, for Trump and those around him, to claim they are simply engaged in a tit for tat: using the machinery of the state to suppress his political opponents. And, in a stunning coincidence, those same opponents will happen to be violently rioting just as Trump takes office — at least in the fantasies of these hardcore supporters. Peter Feaver, a scholar of civil-military relations at Duke University, told TPM that the powers of the executive had “evolved” over the years, and that their responsible use had it come to “depend on electing a principled President.” Feaver served on the National Security Council in the George W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He added that the judiciary has long given the executive branch the power to use the Insurrection Act to override state law enforcement, in part out of deference to national security decision-making. Federal troops have been deployed domestically in dozens of situations; to quell the 1992 Los Angeles riots, to ensure desegregation efforts, to break up railroad strikes.

[...]

Higher stakes

For many right-wingers, the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests serve as a benchmark, often invoked when forecasting the kind of developments that they see as inevitable over the coming months, and requiring a tough response following a potential Trump victory. On the right, those protests are regarded as the high-water mark of recent left-wing violence.

As MAGA influencers tell it, the media and local, Democratic-controlled city governments ignored wanton lawlessness and violence, leaving shop owners and police squads to fend for themselves among violent mobs. The sense of grievance that’s emerged ignores the reality that many of the 2020 marches against police brutality were peaceful and managed to avoid burning down any police stations or looting stores. But the memory of that moment of activist mobilization remains powerful, among this set, and continues to inspire fear. Howell and others said that in their view, the November election would lead to a far greater level of chaos across the country than what was seen in summer 2020.

“Much more is at stake,” Douglas Wilson, a Moscow, Idaho pastor who has become influential in conservative circles, told TPM. “With the killing of George Floyd, it was simply an opportunity to vent, but no actual power was at stake. And with the presidential election, it would be actual power.”

Setting aside the crimped definition of “power” here, Wilson envisions left-wing self-preservation as further inflaming the imagined post-election violence. “If Trump wins, a lot of high powered, highly placed people are going to go to jail,” Wilson added. “They don’t want to go to jail.” Wilson has become increasingly influential among self-described Christian Nationalists, who see Trump as a vehicle to punch through an agenda that would try to reshape American society, bringing it closer to their hardline interpretation of Christianity. Wilson appeared last September at an event held on Capitol Hill called “Theology of American Statecraft.” He spoke immediately after a talk given by Russ Vought, a former Trump Office of Management and Budget director who has taken a leading role in developing policies for a second administration, including through Project 2025.

[...] A review of the paper that Vought referenced, authored by former DHS acting secretary Ken Cuccinelli and another staffer, shows that it answers an undisputed question: Does the Posse Comitatus Act, which blocks executive branch officials from deploying troops domestically, allow the president to use the military to defend the border? That part of the paper answers a question that’s long been settled: The Pentagon regularly deploys troops in support of protecting the U.S.-Mexico border, though not in a law enforcement capacity. But as the New York Times first reported, the document makes extensive legal arguments for using troops to arrest people as part of a domestic deployment.

[...] “This is actually the longest the United States has ever gone without an invocation of the Insurrection Act since the first version of the law was enacted in 1792,” Nunn, a fellow at the Brennan Center, told TPM. (The last time the Act was invoked was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, when state and local law enforcement briefly lost control of sections of the city.) He noted that the Act is intended for situations in which civilian law enforcement cannot cope; thanks to heavy investment in state and federal law enforcement, Nunn said, those kinds of emergencies have become exceedingly rare.

Using the military against peaceful demonstrators would cut against a foundational element of American public life: the right to freely and peacefully make your views about the government known, absent government retribution. “To the extent that any candidate or person in the orbit of a candidate is suggesting a preemptive plan to invoke the Insurrection Act, that’s inappropriate,” Nunn said. “The purpose of this law is to respond to sudden emergencies. If you are planning it months in advance, that’s by definition anticipating an abuse of the law.” Neither of the two missions that the Trump team is envisioning — immigration enforcement or putting down protests — falls remotely within the ambit of why people join the military, Nunn added. “People who join the military don’t do so because they look to be deployed against their fellow Americans,” he said. Domestic law enforcement, among other things, is not seen within the military as its job. “It’s not what they want to be doing. They want to be focused outward, on defense.”

MAGA influencers are seeking to justify use of military force on domestic soil for law enforcement purposes if Trump wins to be used against anti-Trump protests.

[lordrakim]

Hidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term

Last month, Russell Vought sat in a five-star Washington, DC, hotel suite, bowing his head in prayer with two men he thought were relatives of a wealthy conservative donor. Continue reading Hidden-camera video shows Project 2025 co-author discussing his secret work preparing for a second Trump term

[xenahikart]

FUCKING INSURGENTS!!!!

Fan design of the Indonesian Branch, Archival Committee Director - Stephan W. Foster

[fairygodsystem]

Do you have any system names for just the grouping that aren't system or collective?

We are really wanting a one worded collective name

♡ Alternatives to "system" or "collective" Master-list ♡

Association　　Assembly　　Aggregation　　Assemblage　　Assortment　　Array　　Alliance

Band　　Body　　Batch　　Battery　　Bunch　　Bundle　　Battalion　　Bracket　　Brigade

Class　　Club　　Chain　　Circle　　Crew　　Collection　　Cluster　　Clutch　　Clique　　Clump　　Clot　　Combine　　Conglomerate　　Congregation　　Crew　　Crowd　　Company　　Collaborative　　Communal　　Cooperative　　Common　　Corporation　　Compilation　　Collation　　Caboodle　　Convocation　　Cumulation　　Constellation　　Clan　　Consort　　Crop　　Coalition　　Classification　　Conspiracy　　Cabal　　Coven　　Corps

Division

Establishment　　Enterprise

Faction　　Function　　Formation　　Foundation　　Fellows　　Fellowship　　Family　　Force

Group　　Gathering　　Grade　　Gaggle　　Grouping　　Gild　　Guild　　Genus　　Generation

Herd　　Horde　　Hoard　　Heap　　Huddle　　Hodgepodge

Institute　　Institution

Lot　　League　　Legion　　Layout　　Lads

Mass　　Medley　　Mess　　Miscellany　　Mobilization　　Muster　　Mess　　Melt　　Mutual　　Mob

Number　　Network

Operation　　Outfit　　Order

Platoon　　Party　　Parcel　　Posse　　Phalanx　　Pack　　Personnel　　Pile

Round　　Ring

School　　Squad　　Squadron　　Set　　Species　　Syndicate　　Staff　　Stack　　Stock　　Suite

Team　　Troop　　Trust

Union

Variety

[inkyami]

A poster I did for "Heroic epics of the peoples of Russia" project by Nikolay Rastorguev Foundation and the Moscow's Department of Culture

Rus Byliny (plural) — oral epic poems in Kyivan and Novgorod Rus, counting more than 400 poems and mostly focusing on the semi-historic deeds of bogatyrs ("great warrior"). Despite common traits, they show a variety of themes, structure and dates of origin. The centerpiece is the most famous bogatyr trio — Ilya of Murom, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovitch with their respective antagonists, while the foreground focuses on much more archaic heroes — Svyatogor and Mikula Selyaninovitch. Heroes of that period inhabit almost a mythological world, and often posses chthonic traits themselves. Even by the time of the Boratyr Trio their stories centered on no longer belonging to the "modern" world.

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[kyseya]

I'm curious what would happen if y/n seemed to prefer one of the Callaghan brothers over the other one?

Despite all the promises of protecting each other and always being there for the other, cracks would eventually begin to appear. It’s inevitable.

They started the whole thing(kidnapping and holding reader on the farm agaisnt her will) with the foundation that they would share. Like the saying goes: sharing is caring. Although, that does not apply when the object of your obsessive love blatantly enjoys your bothers company over yours.

Don’t get the wrong idea, they’ve definitely been jealous of each other before- a bunch of times. But they always managed to have it out peacefully; telling the other that they hog too much of readers attention and it’s not fair. The attention-hogger will then back off a little and let the other one have some time with reader. To sum it up, they get jealous often but it is controlled.

Now, wether Weston or Lucas are cozying up to reader a little too much is one thing, but reader snuggling with one specific brother is another.

At first, neither Weston or Lucas would say anything(if it’s reader who’s obviously the one coming onto one of them) and let her do what she wanted. If she wants a little rougher time or gentler, she can have it. They’d be sulking on the couch of course, but readers pleasure is most important. However, if it happened again, and again, then once more- that’s it!

There is obvious favouritism!

The rejected brother would feel anger and also embarrassment. Is he not enough to be with you? What does his brother have that he doesn’t? Sure, Weston was maybe more responsible and bigger but that doesn’t mean Lucas can’t protect you too. And yes, Lucas has it easier in opening up and displaying his emotions but that doesn’t mean Weston loves you any less. He cares, he really does. It’s just hard for him to show in other ways.

First they would try to impress reader with skills they posses instead of focusing on what they lack. They’d show her they’re good in their way as well. The jealousy would be forced down and they’d pretend everything was great whilst trying to reignite the spark between them and reader.

If that didn’t work then they would try to take in certain characteristics of the preferred brother based on what they think it is that draw you to them. Do you like Lucas’s charm? Weston will try to speak more and even throw in a smile or two. Are you attracted to Weston’s decisiveness? Alright, watch Lucas take command over more stuff on the farm. He can handle it. He might like to crack jokes every morning, but don’t forget he also cracks skulls.

Even if you do prefer one brother over the other, please for the love of everything good, don’t make it obvious. Especially don’t voice it out loud. They might be loving brothers, however that could switch up real fast.

[curse-d-owl]

Fire Emblem Three Houses and Hopes suffers from having a very poor foundation for the story and making their characters uncharacteristically dumb to have conflict between eachother. In their attempt to write a morally gray story where each side is valid and posses depth and nuance they instead wound up with an idiot plot that's extremely black and white. Same as Fates.

Rhea had no reason to keep crests and heroes relics, falsify history for her aggressors, promote nationalism and allowing Fodlan to conquer innocent nations when all it took for a group of unsatisfied nobles to tell her that's not good.

If she marries Byleth ( which is extremely gross ) in Silver Snow she returns to her position as archbishop and helps the others get rid of Fodlan's problems proven by Petra's, Seteth's, Sylvain's, Mercedes's, Lysithea's and Hanneman's endings.

In Hopes she supports Dimitri having official talks with foreign nations, has no problems with Duscur being a part of the army, helps them by sending her followers to help Duscur in Dedue's and Catherine's support and Dimitri allows commoners to achieve knighthood and nobility should they have the skills for it in his support with Sylvain.

And Edelgard had no reason to immediately jump to war. None.

Her delusion that Rhea is this cutthroat villain that violent crucifies anyone for being non believers and for disagreeing with her is based on nothing and a massive projection since 1. Edelgard demonizes the goddess and defended a scumbag like Miklan infront of an extremely pious and high ranking knight like Gilbert and 2. Shes the one being hellbent on ruling Fodlan, killing her opposition by any means necessary and refusing any chance at cooperation.

Plus she's entirely wrong about the origin of crests, heroes relics, Nemesis, the founding of Adrestia, Faerghus and Leicester.

If the ironically named Intelligent Systems wants to write a morally gray story then they need to try harder than making their characters uncharacteristically stupid and refusing to treat villains like villains.

[rose-morose]

I've been on a superhero kick since finishing The Boys season 4 finale and I finally got around to watching the Harley Quinn animated series, or at least the 4 seasons that are currently out as of writing

a bit heavy on the meta comedy for my taste, but over all I enjoyed it, and I have some thoughts, so I'm here to bring you the amateur analysis nobody asked for or wanted

(very long Harley Quinn spoilers below cut)

(seriously it's so fucking long don't hit the cut if you don't want a wall of text on your screen)

at its core, Harley Quinn is a show about relationships, and I don't just mean romantic relationships, I mean human, and occasionally non human, relations of all kinds: family, friends, coworkers, lovers, enemies, nemeses, etc. it's an exercise in the concept of the social and how each person interacts with and relates to other individuals and groups

I think it would be fun to take a closer look at some of these relationships and analyse them from the perspective of a confused aroace loser with exactly 6 friends so here we go

the show centers on two individuals who, by the beginning of the show, have quite literally never had anything even remotely resembling a healthy relationship in their entire lives, which is not hyperbole in the slightest, and again is not just referring to romantic relationships, but relationships of all kinds

the focus is on DC's titular Harley Quinn, and her only friend turned best friend turned girlfriend (minor spoiler but not really) Poison Ivy, and the evolution of their relationship, as well as the relationships of many prominent DC characters around them, and also Kite Man

this is going to be quite a long one with many parts, so you'll have to bear with me for awhile or just give up now you have been warned

part one

the (toxic) insane clown posse (duo)

the show opens with the infamously toxic romance between Harley Quinn and the clown prince of crime, the Joker himself

episode one opens with a showcase of the well documented abusive relationship between Quinn and Joker and just how abusive the Joker truly is as he leaves her for dead yet again

Poison Ivy, powerful supervillain and only friend of Harley Quinn, goes to great lengths to help Harley see that her relationship with Joker is not as perfect as she believes

it's clear there is already a lot of love between Ivy and Harley, and despite the fact that Ivy is a well known misanthrope with a burning hatred of humanity, she has made a singular exception for Harley due in part to her tenure at Arkham as a psychiatrist during one of Ivy's stays

Harley spends season one attempting to escape the telltale psychological hold of a manipulative and abusive relationship, which is easier said than done and not simple in the slightest, but by the end of the first season she has made a considerable amount of progress

part two

emancipation, the crew, and new friends

of course breaking off her romantic relationship with the Joker does not free Harley of his hold, the process is far more strenuous and takes considerably more time, but now she has an opportunity to start some new positive relationships in her life to help her through, and that takes the form of her new crew which consists of Dr. Psycho, Clay Face, King Shark, and Sy and she befriends Ivy's plant Frank and the Queen of Fables as well

as I've mentioned Harley has no experience with healthy relationships, and her initial transactional attitude and emotional neglect towards her new friends is quite telling, but she is in the process of learning how to truly connect with people, a challenge her background in psychiatry seems to lend a foundation to help with

each episode of the first season follows her uncovering a new facet of how a genuine friendship is formed and maintained, all the while battling her own selfishness to be the best friend she can be

the friendships seem to fall out of touch over the course of the show, but there remains a rapport between the crew even after their professional split

the later seasons spend a lot less time exploring friendships, a decision I'm not too thrilled with, but the exploration of relationships continues regardless

part 3

Ivy, Kite Man, and the most baffling romance I've ever seen

I genuinely hate this relationship so much that I made an entire other post about it here

it's really god damn long, probably not as long as part 4, but fuck I just want to throttle Kite Man to death with my bare fucking hands

it's less the relationship I hate and more just Kite Man himself, he's not even necessarily a bad character he just fucking sucks and gets away with it every time and it pisses me off

though I do still hate the relationship

part 4

Harley, Ivy, true love, and possibly the best written romance I've seen on television

Harley's season 2 meeting with Mr. Freeze tells us a lot about what she thinks of love

she sees Mr. Freeze's affection towards his cryogenically frozen wife Nora as creepy and exploitative, and when Mr. Freeze gives his life to save his wife, Harley comments that his actions are 'insane'

admittedly Freeze's expressions of affection do seem very creepy, but Harley's subsequent outburst on how love is bullshit indicates that Freeze's behaviour isn't her real issue

Harley seems to believe that true love was a lie that the Joker sold her to keep her under his control, and, having no other experience, assumes that everyone is just like her and the Joker, and are only trying to get what they want from a relationship without consideration for others

but Nora's reciprocation of Mr. Freeze's affection when Harley unfreezes her quickly begins to cast doubt on her previous notion and challenges her perception of love itself

and then she finds her own true love and everything changes

enter the beautiful mess that is Harlivy

"I love you, in a very odd, hard-to-articulate way." - Ivy to Harley in episode 1

it seems clear from a writing standpoint that these two were going to be together romantically from episode 1 and on, the build up to which is noticeable yet sufficiently subtle, and I do think Ivy fell first and by first I mean before the show even begins, and if these two aren't the fucking definition of the fell first/fell harder trope

and Harley falls HARD

early on, her true feelings for Ivy, unexpressed, seem to take up every waking moment of her mind, and she struggles to avoid ruining her relationship with Ivy, while also desperately wanting to take a risk that could ruin it for good, after all, Ivy is marrying and committing to a hetero monogamous relationship with fucking Kite Man for some fucking reason

"You're here, and you're queer. Get used to it!" - Harley to Ivy after Ivy cheated on Kite Man with her

did Ivy already know that she is queer? based on her Catwoman anecdote, yes, and it seems like Harley was also aware of her own queerness, it is odd to see a queer relationship in media where no one involved is overtly struggling with their own sexuality or gender, it's not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it something completely new, it's just unexpected

unfortunately, we do have to talk about the giant kite-shaped elephant in the room, except, just kidding, no we don't, fuck that guy go back to part 3 if you care, his whole relationship was nothing but an obstacle in my opinion, but I should bring up the infidelity

in a monogamous relationship, when one partner engages in sexual or romantic pursuits with a third party without the other partner's consent or knowledge, that is categorised as 'cheating' and is widely seen as a profound breach of trust and a betrayal of the highest order, I think this is because monogamous relationships are built on exclusivity and trusting that your partner will not break their vow of exclusivity that they have sworn to uphold under any circumstances (sometimes there are exceptions I guess whatever)

to my understanding infidelity is often indicative of a want that falls beyond the boundaries of monogamy and is often not communicated properly for lack of courage, lack of will, or simple adversity to change

Ivy's want seems to be Harley, and her challenge seems to be adversity to change and a lack of self confidence/courage

from what I understand, it's the same as someone you thought you could count on more than anyone else in the world breaking an important promise that they made to you with utmost sincerity, and that shit sucks for anyone regardless of sexuality or circumstance

I have already spent way too much time on probably unnecessarily explaining adultery, but I'm aroace so I am just trying to work through it and understand it myself and am not actually certain if my understanding is accurate so please correct me if I'm wrong this is all third hand information

moving right along, we can finally watch the romance begin, enter the eat bang kill tour

Harley and Ivy have, up till this point, still not had a single healthy romantic relationship, and it really shows, but quite crucially they are improving every episode and trying their best to work it out

Harley, having never really experienced real romantic love before, is desperate to feel as loved as possible, and once she has felt it for the first time, she never wants to let go

she prolongs the eat bang kill tour as long as she possibly can, showering Ivy with gifts and doing crazy stuff that only serial killers would find fun, just trying to keep that high of the 'honeymoon phase" alive for as long as she can

Harley does not want to exist without Ivy if it means potentially losing the amazing feelings that she is experiencing for the very first time in her life

on the other hand, Ivy is very reserved and submissive, she has trouble voicing her true feelings to Harley and suffers for it, a similar pattern of behaviour that she exhibited with Kite Man

Ivy just can't say no, she also does not want to lose that high, but has a different approach to maintaining it

"A big part of being in a relationship is not always telling the exact truth. And that way, you can get what you need without hurting anyone's feelings." - Poison Ivy

this line is incredibly telling of Ivy's past relationships, and it will become a challenge that she must overcome if she wants any hope of actually forming a healthy relationship

and hey, maybe a little lie here and there isn't so bad for a relationship, that's not for me to say and I honestly don't know, but Ivy seems to use the technique excessively to her own detriment

but I mean, what would a compelling dramatic romance be without serious communication issues?

and all these little minor contentions and miscommunications finally build up to the first major conflict in Harley and Ivy's relationship, Edin

it turns out Harley and Ivy might not be on the same page about the whole extermination of humanity, and their failure to communicate that ends in horror as, despite Ivy's wishes, Harley makes a sacrifice that forces Ivy to choose between Harley's life and her own dream

Ivy chooses Harley of course, but this moment rattles their relationship dynamic dramatically and Harley panics, deciding that she wasn't being very supportive of Ivy, and still being desperate not to lose her newfound happiness, she lapses back into her behaviour from when she was with Joker, Harley goes right back to doing exactly what she's told without question and with great enthusiasm in spite of her own personal opinion, because that's how she has handled conflict historically, that's what has worked and she will do anything to hold on to that feeling she has had being with Poison Ivy

Ivy mistakes Harley's new found enthusiasm as genuine, and it takes the Joker himself to point out that she is doing exactly what he did to Harley so long ago, so Ivy asks Harley what she really wants

and now comes my favourite part, the very problematic Valentine's Day special

in spite of the many problematic events of the episode, there will never be a sweeter moment than Ivy sharing her favourite Valentine's Day with Harley, it just melts my heart every time I watch it

as for the problematic part there's nothing new, it's some standard self aware hijinks that affirms that the writers are aware of the unhealthy behaviours exhibited by the two leads and exploring that dynamic is all part of the story, mostly centering on Harley's fixation on being the best partner possible mixed with lasting psychological damage, all from her time with the Joker, but the resolution is adorable

I can't really describe Ivy's favourite Valentine's Day, you just have to watch it, it honestly is the most wholesome and genuine moment in the show, and I can hardly think of any other moment in any other show that can top it either

entering season 4, Harley and Ivy's latest challenge is to set up professional boundaries and segregate their own personal lives from their work lives seeing as they are now each working on opposing sides of a conflict

it's a struggle to be sure, and each partner is terrified that without their shared proclivity for villainy, a rift may form in their relationship

the fear is certainly justified, but despite the challenges presented by their professional split they manage to find other ways to connect

that's pretty much all I have to say on them so far, I think their romance is by far the best part of the show, and I personally believe it to be incredibly well written in spite of what others may think, but it's time to move on

"I mean man. You know me better than anyone." - Ivy

"You're easy to celebrate." - Harley

"And you're fun to celebrate with." - Ivy

part 5

found family vs blood relatives

"You people are not my family, and you know what? You're not even worth it." - Harley to her parents after they tried to murder her

there's no doubt that Harley's family fucking sucks, and you'll be hard pressed to find a family that doesn't anywhere in this show

Ivy's parents were abusive, Harley's were manipulative, Kite Man's are assholes, Batman's are dead, as are Nightwing's, Dr. Psycho is intentionally a terrible father and unintentionally a terrible husband, Sy locked his sister in a basement, Barbara's father is an alcoholic deadbeat and her mother left, King Shark hates his asshole father and killed multiple of his brothers, Robin's father is an emotionally repressed billionaire playboy and his mother is a sociopathic assassin that wants nothing to do with him, the list goes on

every blood family has fallen apart and some of the members have scattered to various found families

the show initially centres on one found family in particular, Harley's crew, but later shifts much of the focus on the bat family as well

both of these families are as dysfunctional as the next, but there is a sense of love and belonging that they bring to each member that families are known to have

what really makes a family? it's hard to say, I think it's like a sort of community that always has your back, even when you're wrong, and maybe you don't like each other all the time, but there is still a sort of love between everyone

families spend time together, but if they live together they're always trying to get away from each other, they support each other, but they will rescind their support if they think you're doing dumb shit that they don't like, they love each other, but may not often express it, sometimes they get along, and sometimes they don't, there is a certain dichotomy to a familial relationship that doesn't really exist in most other relationships

where as you might need to like your friends in order to stay friends, families can maintain a bond in spite of quarrels and disagreements, not everyone will like it, but it's what you've got

in this sense, families are the only relationship that you can never really seem to escape, Dick came back to Gotham, Robin left with his mother, Ivy tore the city apart to rescue Frank, Harley always rescues her crew, and they always rescue her

but the familial aspect does not define a relationship, other relationships will exist between family members that are not inherently related, you can be friends with your family, mere acquaintances, even enemies, or something else entirely

Batgirl and Harley are both new to the bat family, but despite their short tenure, both are given a sense of family from people they know very little about

in my experience, found family often comes from where you least expect it, Batgirl was probably the only person not absolutely shocked to their core to see Harley Quinn herself joining the bat family, and Sy was just Harley and Ivy's landlord before he sacrificed his physical body for them, Frank is a fucking plant, who would expect that their best friend would be a sentient fucking plant?

at some point Nightwing seems to heavily backtrack out of nowhere and stops treating Harley as part of the family, this, to me, seems to be just a poor writing choice seeing as Nightwing was previously very enthusiastic to have Harley in the family

while his concerns may be justified, it's weird that they are only just now being expressed

part 6

Nora Freeze, Batman, Bane, Jim Gordon, Batgirl, Alfred, Poison Ivy, and loneliness

Catwoman is the only lonely character that can tolerate being alone, she even prefers it

whereas Nora, Batman, Bane, Jim, Barbara, Ivy, and Alfred on the other hand each contend with their own particular brand of loneliness and each cope with it in their own unhealthy ways

Nora is grieving, Batman is reluctant, Bane is desperate, Jim is self sabotaging, Barbara is insecure, Ivy is traumatised, and Alfred is purposeless

but for this part I want to focus on Nora

in light of her supposed incurable disease, subsequent coma, and the loss of her husband, Nora has never been more alone

she has no one to turn to, and no one to support her as she grieves for all that she has lost, and I don't mean to imply that Nora's husband was what gave her life value or meaning, in reality it's only a small part of the life she left behind

Nora expressed that her fundamental life changes have left her alienated from all of her previous relationships, her friends and family all expect her to be someone that she no longer is

Nora seems to turn to drugs and alcohol for relief, she seems lost and doesn't know what to do, she just kind of eventually stumbles into her new job working for Ivy, and doesn't take it very seriously

she is understandably put off of serious relationships, and seems to just engage in sex for fun, which is not actually a problem though some characters may disagree

the people of this world have never been lonelier than they are now, and Nora is hardly alone in her isolation

Batgirl's earnest demeanor and nerdy vibe make it difficult for her to make friends, and her deadbeat parents don't pay any attention to her, though things seem to be even worse on the occasion that they do

Jim is married to the job as they say, though this is largely comedic he shows no signs of improvement

Bane is just not very bright and no one takes him seriously, though he does find someone in the end

Ivy hates humanity, but she still seeks companionship from those few she deems worthy, the only trouble is how few she deems worthy, and it's difficult to say whether this is her fault, or theirs, but she does find people she can connect with, and is definitely happier for it

why she deems Kite Man worthy will forever be a mystery to me

part 7

the Joker takes a stab at healthy relationships

after season 1 the Joker is presumed dead, but Harley and Ivy soon discover that he survived, as a basic bitch white suburban amnesiac with no memory of his true identity

his confusion provides the catalyst through which the Joker begins a romantic relationship with the totally unsuspecting Bethany, and by extension he becomes the step father to her two children

the relationship continues for a short number of months until Harley, in a desperate bid to save the city, violently reminds Joker of his true identity

this time around Joker remembers his own life as well as the life he had lived as an amnesiac and is immediately disgusted with himself

he breaks off his relationship with Bethany because she challenges his perception of his own identity and that scares him

however, upon realising how much happier he was as an amnesiac living with Bethany and her children, he decides that maybe he can give the whole true love thing a shot, after all, lots of dads are serial killers

and thus the true romance of Bethany and the Joker finally begins, it's honestly kind of surprising that Bethany still wanted to date the Joker and not the other way around, but I suppose it's understandable if you've already spent so much time together, plus Bethany and her kids were excessively eager when Joker announced to them his return to crime so maybe they were kind of into it the whole time

part 8

Jim Gordon and his (seemingly) one sided friendship with the Batman

Batman is self admittedly "not good with feelings" and by extension, personal relationships

he is incredibly insistent that he "work[s] alone"

he is dismissive of Jim's constant insistence that they are friends and not just coworkers, but in spite of this attitude Harley is able to convince Batman that Jim Gordon is not just a coworker, but might just be his one and only friend

the idea that they are friends is further compounded by the comedically timed screen saver of Batman's computer that shows him and Gordon together celebrating

after Harley's intervention their friendship remains very one sided with Gordon constantly seeking Batman's validation and approval, but Batman at the very least has acknowledged the truth of their relationship

part 9

can people change

can Harley become someone reliable and dependable?

can Ivy count on and trust someone other than herself?

can the Joker become a suburban dad?

can Psycho stop calling women cunts?

can Kite Man do anything right ever?

can people change?

according to the show, the answer is yes

Nora Freeze spent years in a cryogenic coma, and upon her revival, lost the love of her life

her friends all expected her to be the way they remembered, but the experience had a deep impact that spurred a fundamental change within her

she didn't just lose her husband by waking from the coma, she lost her entire life as well, she feels like an entirely new person, and it leaves her lost and lonely, but it wasn't her husband's death that left her all alone

Harley and Ivy are both forced to undergo changes in order to make their relationship work, but they don't just change for the sake of each other, they change for their own sake as well

these changes are what allow them to form all kinds of new positive relationships, but failure to change promises severe social consequences

Jim Gordon's failure to change guarantees the continuation of his misery, he could have had a loving family and admits that he loved being a father, but he ultimately decides that change is scarier than loneliness

part 10

Ivy and Swamp Thing, the end of friendship

"You never let me express myself, Ivy! This is why we stopped being friends." - Swamp Thing in a fit of rage

many of us have had that one friend that would whinge for hours on end about their problems, but would suddenly have something better to do when it was our turn to complain, unfortunately some of us have even been that friend

it can be incredibly frustrating for the listener, and the whinger often doesn't even realise that they're doing it

Ivy was that friend to Swamp Thing, and until now she never even knew the true reason they stopped being friends in the first place

it's tough to know when to give people a chance, and when to cut a toxic friend out of your life for good, Swamp Thing had to make that call for his own sake, and it seems to have paid off

their hiatus apart allowed Ivy the time she needed to grow, so that she could be a good friend for a change

it's also an example of the idea that the end of a relationship doesn't always have to be for good, people and circumstances change, and sometimes reconnecting can lead to a better relationship than you ever had before

so it's finally done, I have been writing this post for fucking ages now even though no one will ever read it, but at this point it's mostly for me anyway so no harm done, this blog is basically my diary as it is

I didn't even talk about everything I wanted to but it has been months so I'm finally just going to post it

[yonemurishiroku]

AU in which the Earth is destabilized due to Gaea falling so the fourth series would take place in a semi-apocalypse whose fate resides in Hazel’s - who posses the most potential in earthy powers - hands to restore it, starting from the foundation, little by little.

Aka I made Hazel and the Underworld kids the protagonists.

And if I’m unhinged enough they’d have to rebuild Tartarus whatever Rick had enough fun down there I’m reversing it.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

I made a string quilt several years ago, and it ate up a bunch of my scraps. The foundation I used was paper. To keep things in place and prevent warping and twisting. Some of the strips were barely an inch wide! Here's the result:

I made it for my mom because she looooves scrap quilts. Plenty of errors were made, but it was fun, a good experience, and my mom (a fellow quilter) uses it everyday when watching TV or a movie.

[momachan]

"No excuses. Look around you, gentlemen. What do you see? A multimillion-dollar mannor-- exiquisite antiques-- fabulous wealth. And look at yourselves too, since you are solely retained by The Wayne Foundation-- By me-- And virtually everything you have, everything you've become, is a factor of what I have. Money. I posses and control more money than any thousand people could reasonably spend in very long lifetimes. But I'm telling you that tonight-- right now-- all of it, every Ming Vase, every last penny of it right down to the upholstery in your limousines-- is worthless. It means nothing to me. I wouldn't shed a single tear if it all vanished this very second. Yet for one solid hour this afternoon... after they came and took Jason away from me... I broke down and wept. That's what we're discussing here. Money is fine, gentlemen. But it isn't real. Right now only Jason is real. I want that boy back and I will accept neither defeat nor faillure. Everything you see around-- including yourselves and the trappings of your salaries, doubled as of this minute-- every last penny of everything at my disposal-- goes into the effort... Now any questions? Good-- then lets get down to bussiness."

Detective Comics (1937-2011) #542. "The End?"

[ohquail]

What songs I think the School Bus Graveyard Kids listen to/like

I think the whole fandom has collectively decided that Meet You at the Graveyard by Cleffy is the entire groups song. but might I add As the World Caves In by Matt Maltese and 505 by Arctic Monkeys as entire group songs?

For Ashlyn I feel like she would love Rio Romeo's Nothing's New AJR's Touchy Feely Fool Paramore's Misery Business and Lesley Gore's You Don't Own Me

For Aiden we already know he loves Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO, Lauren Bennett and GoonRock. I feel like he would love Maroon 5's Sugar (and would think about Ashlyn while listening to it). Roar's Christmas Kids Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc. and Insane Clown Posse's Imma Kill U

For Tyler I feel like since he doesn't seem to enjoy Aiden's taste in music, he would probably lean more towards Rammstein's Sonne Muse's Time is Running Out MARINA's Are You Satisfied? and Fall Out Boy's Centuries

For Taylor I feel like she has a similar taste in music to Tyler, (probably because he always has the AUX), but she would lean more toward Aiden's music taste after they all become friends. So I feel like she would like, I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry Maisie Peter's Psycho Taylor Swift's Shake It Off and Paris Paloma's labour

Ben probably listens to lofi hiphop. like I don't know what else he would listen too because he is just - no emotion or horrified half the time- so I'm just gonna say lofi hiphop and if you have an idea about what Ben would like let me know.

Finally, Logan's music taste would probably be oldies but goodies. Remember he grew up with his grandparents so that's probably what he listens to the most. So in that case, Paul Anka's Put Your Head On My Shoulder The Foundations' Build Me Up Buttercup The Beatles' Hey Jude and Journey's Don't Stop Believin'

Anyway-

Let me know what you think!

[zahmaddog]

Part 5: Family Matters

Warnings: Fluffy AF, Flirting, Slowest Burn, Blaster Fire, Explosions, Head Injuries, Light Romance (SFW), Crosshair opening up, Comfort, and some heavy Star Wars cameos. (Entire series NSFW.)

Crosshair x fem!reader | Word Count: 2885

Hi, fellow Crosshair lovers. I'm continuing to poke away at this narrative until it resolves. There will probably be about 7 parts. I took some liberties with this one and it's okay if nobody likes it. ;) Crosshair is soft in this, but also still harsh with quips and attitude. The reader is still a bounty hunting badass with dark humor.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Separated by two laser-shields and a hallway, you and Crosshair anxiously awaited the arrival of this “Lord Vader” character. The patrol guards really didn’t mind, or perhaps notice, the soft conversations between you and Crosshair. 

“You good?” you asked, your chin resting on your arms as you sat, curled in a ball against the wall. 

“Mmhmm,” he mumbled. You could hear him exhale, “Are you good?”

“Eh, I’m home,” you smirked a little in disbelief that you were back on an Imperial ship. 

Crosshair scoffed a little. He enjoyed your dark humor. You felt the pause in conversation as his emotions shifted.

“I understand the feeling,” he sighed. 

“You know, I still feel so hollow over it all,” you described.

“Hollow?” Crosshair prodded you to continue.

“I spent nearly every part of myself trying to keep my family together. But in the end, my differences with the Empire were enough to be forgotten. I’d take them all back in a second, but I’m never going to be enough for them,” you wearily confided. “It leaves me rather hollow.” 

“We can hope that one day they’ll wake up missing you,” Crosshair tried to comfort. “Being here, in these Imperial walls again, reminds me of how…” he trailed off. “Cross?” you looked across the hall to see him studying his mechanical hand.

“The Empire broke me too,” he confessed. 

“What happened?” you finally asked. You had been wanting to know the story of his hand for months now, but similar to yourself, Crosshair rarely divulged information that brought up painful emotions. You knew your compatibility had a trusting foundation because neither of you expected the other to leak all the secrets that made you, you. 

He continued to sit in silence. 

“You don’t have to tell me,” you assured him.

“I made a friend with a reg,” he started. “A reg?” you didn’t know the term. “A regular clone. Clone Force 99, we were never accepted as true clones by the regs, so we considered ourselves superior. Which genetically speaking, we are,” he continued, lightening up a little when mentioning his squad.

You nodded in following his explanation and watched his shoulders drop again as he continued his story.

“His name was Mayday,” he sighed. “There was an avalanche, and I risked everything to get him back to base. He saved me and I couldn’t save him in return.” He paused. “Then the Empire betrayed him; betrayed us.” He shrugged and breathed through the memory, “I killed an Imperial officer in response. If Mayday wasn’t important to the Empire, then I could never be,” he ended. 

You realized he wasn’t going to explain what happened to his hand, but that his heart had scars more painful to attend to.

“I haven’t told anyone about Mayday,” he said above a whisper.

“I’ll keep your secret,” you assured him.

—-

The Imperial prisoner meals were atrocious. The ground meat and organ stew they’d serve reminded you to never complain about a rations bar again. After about three rotations, your visitor arrived. 

The warbling of the interrogation droid and heavy footsteps of a dark entourage approached your cell. The only comfort you felt was when they passed Crosshair’s cell to enter yours first. 

The Imperial party was led by a tall individual, masked, caped, and audible breathing. Attached to his belt, you spied a hanging Jedi weapon. Your uncle stepped out from behind him and entered your cell first. 

“She was in possession of the holocron?” Vader pressed Tarkin. 

“Yes,” Tarkin respectfully replied. “We caught her and that clone trying to smuggle it off Coruscant.” 

“What clone?” Vader turned to Tarkin. Tarkin motioned behind them to Crosshair’s cell with a nod. Vader glanced at Crosshair standing at attention near the door of his cell, then turned his attention back to you. He stepped deeper into the cell and you were filled with a sense of doom. Vader lifted his hand to reveal the glowing holocron.

“Did the holocron reveal anything to you?” Vader interrogated. 

Confused by the question, you hesitated, “No.”

Vader raised his hand towards your face and you were flooded with a cold presence. You felt him in your mind, reading thoughts; asking questions; pulling memories. You shuddered, but couldn’t turn away. You realized this was the true power of what legends called the force. 

“Is she lying?” Tarkin prodded Vader. 

Releasing his gravitational-like hold, Vader turned to leave the cell. 

“Do not bother me with your family matters again,” Vader directed Tarkin. 

Vader exited your cell and paused at Crosshair’s for a short moment. Crosshair showed no fear as he stood tall, but was towered by Vader. Vader’s breathing echoed in the hallway and presence smothered any spark of a thought. This man was a walking contagion of fear.

Vader continued down the hallway and you were left again with Tarkin. He resealed your cell and began walking down the hallway with his personal guard. 

“Schedule these two traitors for execution,” Tarkin ordered. “Yes, sir,” the stormtrooper replied. 

Angry, you hit the wall of your cell with your fist. You knew there was only one more chance to escape, and that would be in transit from the cell to the execution room. 

Afraid to meet Crosshair’s line of sight, you forced yourself to look outside your cell into his. His eyes reflected his heartbreak and fear, until he caught your eye. His expression shifted to a brave and serious look, nodding in your direction. You swore to yourself you were going to save him, no matter the cost.

Your conviction kept you awake that night. Admiring Crosshair’s ability to drift into a careless slumber even on death row, you managed to relax a little. But, you knew the guard would return in the morning to escort you out of the detention cell, for what you planned or they planned would be the last time. That small moment would be your chance, but you knew they’d be well-guarded and prepared. 

In the morning, the guard arrived. One stormtrooper appeared at your door and another at Crosshair’s, disabling the laser array nearly simultaneously. You and Crosshair recognized this as their first mistake. Why would they free you at the same time? Rookie mistake.

Overwhelming them within a split second, you swept your stormtrooper’s leg with yours, taking him to the floor, then unleashed a powerful ax-kick across the soldier’s face, knocking him unconscious.

From across the hall, you heard Crosshair yell and literally throw the stormtrooper into the wall across from him, also knocking the trooper unconscious. You armed yourself with the blaster in your cell and lept free, sending blaster fire down the hallway to assist Crosshair as he stormed the remaining prison guard with his newly acquired blaster.

With a ricocheting shot, Crosshair took out the guards running the comms, but they had already sent an alert that you and he had escaped. 

“We made that look easy,” you yawned and stretched out. “And to think I stayed up all night worrying.”

“It’s about to get much busier down here,” Crosshair sighed as he reached for your shoulders and inspected your condition. He softly put his hand around your jaw and rested his lips on yours. He pulled away and looked into your eyes. 

“We’re not out of this yet,” he continued.

“What’s the plan?” you breathed. “They’ll be monitoring comms, cameras, elevators, escape pods, and ground all other ships,” he scanned the ceiling above the elevator door. You followed his gaze and understood what he was thinking. “So, we go up through the elevator shaft to not trigger the elevator?” you ask.

“Yes, but only go up a single floor. They’ll know we’re in there within seconds,” Crosshair sprinted to the lift and shot the corner of the panel above it. Tearing it from the wall, he created an entrance to the shaft. Crosshair boosted you up first, then you pulled him up. You shuffled through the few feet of paneling and dropped to the elevator shaft with Crosshair closely behind.

Hanging from metal paneling, you felt your fingers burn as your weight pinched them. You took your blaster, and shot the panel above. Climbing best you could, you reached the panel. Managing to get some footing between gaps and ledges, you and Crosshair pulled the panel from the wall.

Suddenly, the lift shuddered and began lowering.

“They’re coming!” Crosshair exclaimed. 

You swung your legs into the newly made gap and turned to pull Crosshair through. The lift passed your hiding space, missing Crosshair’s feet by a hair.

“Maker, that was too close,” you collapsed onto your back under your lack of breath with Crosshair mostly lying on top of you, also out of breath. The intimacy of the moment makes Crosshair blush a little. 

Pulling yourself through the gap, you and he remove the paneling on the opposite side, creating an escape. You dropped down to the floor above the detention level and immediately blasted the cameras spying from the corner.

You heard a pair of patrol guards around the corner. You and Crosshair hugged the wall with your backs like steadied predators. Once the patrol was in sight, you and Crosshair stunned them both.

“Want to play ‘dress up’ again?” you joked. “No,” Crosshair sighed. “But I will,” he mumbled as he took the helmet from the stormtrooper. “You’re far too small to fit in as a stormtrooper,” he said to you. “New plan. I wear this and you’re my prisoner.” “Kinky,” you replied, eyeing around the corner for stormtroopers.

“What?” he huffed back at you.

“We’ll do what we have to,” you nodded looking back at him.

Crosshair pulled on the white stormtrooper armor while you kept watch. You felt him at your back, taking your blaster. 

“I’ll need this if we’re going to pull this off,” he insisted. 

“Let’s go,” you began to walk with your hands behind your back. “We need to find a map. I’ve never been on a ship like this.”

“Agreed,” Crosshair nodded, digging the back of his blaster into your back and holding your hands close. 

The hallways were more desolate than anticipated. Hearing your footsteps echo down the Imperial chambers, you and Crosshair made your way through the ship, blindly. Heading up and down flights of stairs, in and out of hallways, you were beginning to tire. 

“Something isn’t right,” you acquiesced to address the building anxiety in your gut. “Where is everyone?”

Arriving at a closed door, Crosshair clicked the door’s button. It opened to reveal an in-ship spacewalk, the galaxy being the only source of illumination. You and he took a step inside and the door sealed behind you and Crosshair automatically.

The door parallel to your entrance opened. Your heart dropped as you saw Tarkin and his Lord Vader standing at the opposite end of the hallway. Crosshair pressed your blaster’s hilt into your hand in preparation for the standoff. 

“I didn’t think you’d have another escape in you,” Tarkin gloated.

“I was never what you expected,” you were losing your patience and felt your immature, reckless tendencies take over. Or perhaps it was out of the insomniatic stupor you developed over the last hour. Either way, you leaned into your hotheaded, daredevil attitude; embracing the power it gave you. Raising your blaster at your uncle, you pulled the trigger.

Vader ignited his lightsaber, blocking the blaster fire and sending it into the window, causing it to crack. The expected anticipation of getting sucked into space silenced all movement in the hallway between the four of you. 

“Leave them to me,” Vader shattered the silence and motioned Tarkin out of the room. Tarkin shot you a glare filled with hatred and exited the room, leaving you and Crosshair with a killer Jedi.

Vader raised his hand and you braced yourself for the cold feeling. Instead, you and Crosshair flew through the air, hitting the door with incredible impact. Crosshair, who was higher in the air due to his height, had hit the door jam with the back of his head. You slid down the door into a heap on the floor as Crosshair landed face down. 

“Crosshair!” you shook his shoulder, but he was out cold. 

Vader closed in, his red blade reflecting off every surface in the room. You pulled Crosshair’s head and shoulders onto your lap and tried to look as small as possible against the door out of fear. Vader unexpectedly opened the door behind you, causing you to fall through its threshold. 

“Save the clone, traitor” Vader raised his hand once more, forcing you and Crosshair through the doorway, then he sealed the door behind him. 

In shock of being spared, you were motionless for a moment that felt like eternity. You couldn’t breathe. The shattering of the glass in the hallway spurred your attention back to life. You looked through the small window just outside the sky bridge to see the glass scattered through local space. Vader was nowhere to be seen.

You stood up, shoved your blaster into your pants, and began to drag Crosshair down the hallway. Finding a comm station, you ignited the holomap and located the hangar. You heard troops headed your way again, so you dove under the desk and pulled Crosshair in close with you. You could hear him stirring in his helmet.

“Crosshair!” you whispered. “Are you okay?”

You helped him out of his helmet, where he tried to clear his throat with a covert cough. 

“How did we escape?” he looked at you in bewilderment. 

“I–I don’t know,” you stuttered.

“You don’t know?” Crosshair rubbed his forehead and ran his hand over where he had hit his head, he winced as he touched what would be an intense bruise.

“I can’t make any sense of it, but I — we should be dead,” you whispered as you peered out from under the desk and back to Crosshair. You looked into his eyes and checked for any odd pupil activity. “Follow my finger—,” you started as you raised your index finger in front of his face. Crosshair softly swatted your hand down. “I’m fine,” he mouthed.

“We need to move,” you motioned. 

Crosshair nodded and the both of you shuffled out from under the desk.  

“I located a hangar bay while dragging you to safety,” you tried to lighten the moment again with your darker humor. “It’s just through here and down a flight of stairs,” you pointed to an upcoming hallway. 

You and Crosshair begin to jog down the hallway to the flight of stairs. Clearing the corners, he and you make your way down the stairs and into the hangar. You rested behind some crates of Imperial junk, peering out to inspect the ships.

“I guess any ship will do,” Crosshair motioned with his head towards a shuttle. You nodded in agreement. Slipping around the hangar unseen, you made it to the shuttle undetected. The few stormtroopers on deck were distracted with comms and computers.

“I don’t like this,” you worried again. “This feels too easy, again.”

Deploying the ramp, you and Crosshair make your way into the shuttle. Crosshair slid into the pilot’s seat and fired up the engines. 

An alarm goes off in the hangar bay and troops begin to flood in opening fire on your shuttle.

“I knew this was too easy,” you sighed as you slid into the tail-gunner’s seat. You take aim at the fuel reserves in the back of the hangar and anticipated lift-off. Crosshair takes off and begins flying towards the space barrier exit. You pull the trigger, igniting the fuel in a fiery explosion. Stormtroopers fly and flail in every direction. 

Crosshair punches the throttle and the ship erupts from the hangar bay, just escaping the chain reaction of explosions you began.

—

Watching from above the bay, Tarkin nearly loses his balance as the floor rattles and shifts. He watches an Imperial shuttle escape the bay and blast into hyperspeed.

“Who was that?” Tarkin drawled to an officer standing nearby.

The officer, with his hand to his ear, relayed the incoming communication from the hangar. 

“Sir, it appears we had a visual on the two prisoners from Prison Block E escape on a stolen shuttle.”

“Escaped?” Tarkin echoed.

In a fury, he exited the command deck and entered the elevator alone.

—

Inviting himself into Darth Vader’s chambers, Tarkin openly interrogated the Sith.

“It appears my niece and the clone have escaped,” he emphasized. “I assumed that was impossible because I entrusted you to deal with them.” 

Vader remained silent in speech; his deep breathing echoing. 

Tarkin sighed and turned to leave, but not without a final remark. “Your affinity for the clones is an embarrassment to this establishment.” He paused, then continued, “Their loyalty is to a republic of the past.”

Vader reminisced silently in memories of the Clone Wars. He remembered Crosshair as the specialized clone who had defended his back from droid fire on Skako Minor years ago. Vader was not a merciful man, nor known to be fair, but he did reserve respect for those who earned it. In his mind, Crosshair and he were even. 

“The clones were loyal to me,” Vader mused. 

“And they are no longer,” Tarkin chided in disapproval as he turned and exited Vader’s chambers.

Part 6: Above Pabu (NSFW)

Part 7: if You Wanted To Be

-----

Tag list: @tentakelspektakel @cloneflo99

[imminent-danger-came]

Would love to know your thoughts on the similarities & differences between the master/student relationship of Subodhi/Wukong compared to Wukong/MK

The main similarities we see are the ones Subodhi list out himself in 4x06:

Scroll Subodhi: "Do you even believe that? The students I train spend lifetimes to posses a fraction of your power! Am I to believe Sun Wukong is the greatest master in history?" MK: "I mean...maybe he's pretty great-" Scroll Subodhi: "I am the greatest master in all of history! However, even I admit my mentorship is not the sole reason for Sun Wukong's absurdly fast learning, just as his is not reason for yours."

Both Subodhi and Wukong had students who were uniquely capable. Though, to be quite honest, MK taught himself the majority of his abilities (presumably with a foundation laid by Wukong in eps like 1x07 and 1x09). Gold Vision? That ability was triggered by the mural in AHIB. Monkey Mech? That's an ability MK creates himself to defeat DBK. Duplication? MK learns that through Tang. Shrinking? MK teaches himself. 72 Transformations? MK teaches himself. Cloud Walking? MK TEACHES HIMSELF ("Every time I learned a new ability, it was because there was something I needed to do, when there was no other way.")

So, an interesting difference between the Subodhi/Wukong and Wukong/MK dynamics is that Subodhi teaches far more than Wukong does, even being a master to Mei, Tang, Pigsy, and Sandy. In s3, despite being the most knowledgeable, Wukong hardly informs the gang on anything. I also think "Just believe in yourself! Even a smidge can make all the difference" is a similar philosophy to "By breaking these shackles you have imposed upon yourselves, you will become truly unstoppable warriors—which is what the universe is going to need sooner than we might hope", due to MK's "shackle" often being his low self-worth. Subodhi in 4x09 does a great job at being the mentor the gang needs to improve, in ways Wukong often isn't (4x01 being the large exception ("Mistakes happen, but so long as you leave the world better than you found it, then it's all good.")).

Subodhi and Wukong also draw parallels between Mei, Tang, Pigsy, Sandy, and their path lives: "We can't change who we were yesterday, or in a past life, or a hundred lifetimes ago!" versus Subodhi comparing everyone to their past lives and the ways they're worse and better, insisting that they can improve.

In JTTW, Subodhi gives the Monkey King his name, and he trains him in immortality, 72 transformations, and cloud walking. I find Subodhi naming Wukong particularly interesting when paired with this interaction, where Subodhi connects the title of "Monkie Kid" to MK's name:

MK: "I- I can't be! I'm just- I'm just MK!" Scroll Subodhi: "The Monkie Kid?"

He essentially "named" MK Monkie Kid, claiming that his destiny/role > than "just MK".

Other than that, we know so little about lmk Subodhi that it's difficult for me to draw more connections!